Sweet Land (2005)

Director:

Ali Selim

Writers:

Will Weaver (short story "A Gravestone Made of Wheat") and
Ali Selim (writer)

Release Date:

31 July 2008 (Brazil)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A love story

Plot:

Set in 1920, Inge travels from Germany to rural Minnesota meet the man destined to be her husband. Bureaucracy and social morality cause major complications.

Plot Keywords:

Minnesota | 1920s | Morality | Citizenship | Farm

Awards:

6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Elizabeth Reaser	...	Young Inge
Lois Smith	...	Old Inge
Patrick Heusinger	...	Young Lars
Stephen Pelinski	...	Old Lars
Tim Guinee	...	Young Olaf
Robert Hogan	...	Old Olaf
Alan Cumming	...	Young Frandsen
Paul Sand	...	Old Frandsen
Jodie Markell	...	Donna Torvik
Sage Kermes	...	Mae Torvik
Kirsten Frantzich	...	Lee
Stephen Yoakam	...	Einar Torvik
Karen Landry	...	Rose Torvik
James Cada	...	Minister Thorwald
Debbie DeLisi	...	Sarah Torvik

Also Known As:

Wedding Photo (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for brief partial nudity and mild language.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Norwegian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Argentina:Atp | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Dawson, Minnesota, USA

Company:

120dB Films

Trivia:

Most of the Norwegian and German was not scripted, but made up by the actors during filming and is gibberish.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The film takes place in 1920, however, the Farmall tractor that Brownie is driving is a Farmall "F" series that was not made until 1932.

Quotes:

Brownie: You hungry? hungry?
[rubs stomach]
Inge: I could eat a horse.
Brownie: Well we could find dat.

Movie Connections:

References The Godfather (1972)

wonderful movie

This is the story of a German mail order bride who moves to a small, Minnesota town filled with Norwegians who don't exactly embrace difference.

The movie creates a palatable tension between doing what you need to do to fit in with your community (what you're "supposed" to do) and finding love with someone who is different (what you should do).

That message resonates in today's political climate.

A funny, poignant, wonderfully acted movie, Sweet Land has the confidence to treat us as if we are intelligent. It lets us fill in the blanks and trusts us to understand what's going on without telling us everything. While this makes us work a little rather than sit back and be spoon fed the entertainment, the effort is well worth it.

For example, when characters speak German, instead of using subtitles, the filmmakers know we'll get the gist of the scene - even though we don't get the exact verbiage. Selim lets the emotion carry us and it works. This is delicate work but it's handled with care and talent.

Sweet Land is about how love is stronger than fear.

Very, very good movie...the kind they don't make in Hollywood. I'd compare it to Jean de Florette and the sequel Manon of the Spring. It's a simple story with complex emotions where the smallest details, like someone taking a huge bite of potatoes, say a lot.

Excellent movie.